Introduction
At twelve, William Henley was diagnosed with tuberculosis. He lost one leg below the knee to the disease in 1868-69, and spent 1873-75 in an Edinburgh infirmary under Joseph Lister’s care. The battering experience drew from Henley one of the most quotable poems in our language, later dedicated to the memory of his friend Robert Hamilton Bruce.
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit* from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.*
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,*
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,*
How charged with punishments the scroll,*
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.
From ‘Poems by William Ernest Henley’ (1921) by W. E. Henley (1849-1903).
* ‘The pit’ is an Old Testament term for the afterlife, from a time when there was no prevailing belief in bodily resurrection or a New Creation: see Psalm 88:1-7. And see also Psalm 131, “Out of the depths have I cried unto thee”.
* Such uncomplaining suffering was a mark of God’s Anointed, in Isaiah 53:7.
* In Orpheus, Robert Herrick (1591-1674) described the hero’s descent into Hades as “his passage through that dreadful shade”. In Stupendous Height of Heavenly Love, Charles Wesley wrote:
And cheer the souls, of death afraid,
And guide them through the dreadful shade.
See also Psalm 23: “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil”. Henley’s poem echoes the Psalm in several ways, though there is a serenity in the Psalm that contrasts with Henley’s defiance.
* A reference to Luke 13:24: “Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able”. ‘Strait’ indicates a gate that is narrow, a tight squeeze.
* Possibly a reference to Jeremiah 36:1-14, where the prophet writes all God’s pronouncements against Israel upon a scroll. “It may be” says God through Jeremiah, “that the house of Judah will hear all the evil which I purpose to do unto them; that they may return every man from his evil way; that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin.”
Précis
In 1875, W. E. Henley was recovering from years of painful treatment and an amputation brought upon him tuberculosis. In this short poem, he spoke of his sufferings and his horror of death, but defiantly, declaring that whatever bodily torments life might force him to undergo, within his own soul he would always remain free and sovereign. (57 / 60 words)
In 1875, W. E. Henley was recovering from years of painful treatment and an amputation brought upon him tuberculosis. In this short poem, he spoke of his sufferings and his horror of death, but defiantly, declaring that whatever bodily torments life might force him to undergo, within his own soul he would always remain free and sovereign.
Variations: 1.increase the length of this precis to exactly 60 words. 2.reduce the length of this precis to exactly 50 words. 3.introduce one of the following words into the precis: although, besides, despite, if, just, must, since, who.
Archive
Word Games
Sevens Based on this passage
Suggest answers to this question. See if you can limit one answer to exactly seven words.
Variations: 1.expand your answer to exactly fourteen words. 2.expand your answer further, to exactly twenty-one words. 3.include one of the following words in your answer: if, but, despite, because, (al)though, unless.
Jigsaws Based on this passage
Express the ideas below in a single sentence, using different words as much as possible. Do not be satisfied with the first answer you think of; think of several, and choose the best.
Spinners Find in Think and Speak
For each group of words, compose a sentence that uses all three. You can use any form of the word: for example, cat → cats, go → went, or quick → quickly, though neigh → neighbour is stretching it a bit.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1 Nor. Not. Under.
2 Cry. May. Pit.
3 Gate. Shade. Unconquerable.
Variations: 1. include direct and indirect speech 2. include one or more of these words: although, because, despite, either/or, if, unless, until, when, whether, which, who 3. use negatives (not, isn’t, neither/nor, never, nobody etc.)
High Tiles Find in Think and Speak
Make words (three letters or more) from the seven letters showing below, using any letter once only. Each letter carries a score. What is the highest-scoring word you can make?
Your Words ()
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